Editorial: Thankful for Connecticut treasures

The recently restored Fayerweather Island Lighthouse at the mouth of Black Rock Harbor in Bridgeport.

The recently restored Fayerweather Island Lighthouse at the mouth of Black Rock Harbor in Bridgeport.

Photo: Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media

Photo: Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media

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The recently restored Fayerweather Island Lighthouse at the mouth of Black Rock Harbor in Bridgeport.

The recently restored Fayerweather Island Lighthouse at the mouth of Black Rock Harbor in Bridgeport.

Photo: Brian A. Pounds / Hearst Connecticut Media

Editorial: Thankful for Connecticut treasures

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We spend most days as a Connecticut critic-in-residence, perennially searching for infrastructure fissures, holding power brokers accountable, cracking wise about the woeful state budget.

Even we are reminded on occasion that the state has riches that can easily be forsaken. Thanksgiving is as good a time as any to recognize our forests (we have plenty) and trees (which we have more of than most of our 49 rivals), along with everything else in the remaining 5,018 square miles. This is a day to put differences aside and gather at a common table. Here’s a serving from our platter:

We get around: Stamford is the busiest Metro-North station with the exception of Grand Central for a reason. And while we all complain about regional traffic, we have access to trains and major airports. We all need to sometimes take the 34,000-feet view that flying is not so accessible in many parts of the country.

And we get lost: There’s nothing wrong with wandering aimlessly on a drive through, say, Litchfield County in the fall. Or hiking through miles of wooded trails.

We have water, and sand: It’s also easy to take for granted that we have a majestic coastline. Beaches are the envy of states that lack waterfront views, which would be most of them.

Which means lighthouses: ... and bridges, and autumnal vistas. Connecticut is the stuff calendars are made of.

With quaint activities to match: Apple picking or sawing down Christmas trees is rather twee, and we’re good with that.

Some smart folks: Connecticut’s education system is far from perfect, but it boasts a highly educated population. And not only does the state offer a breadth of community colleges, but hey, we’ve got Yale.

The corner office: Despite some high-profile departures (GE, to name one), Connecticut has more than its share of Fortune 500 companies, with 14 calling the state home at last count.

Sick days: A small state has some benefits, with a hospital never far away and nearly every city boasting at least one good-sized medical center.

People here read: There are more than 100 newspapers in Connecticut, including the oldest continuously published one in the nation (the Hartford Courant).

And they’ve been reading for a long time: The nation’s oldest public library in the nation, Scoville Memorial Library, has been in Salisbury since 1771.

They also use big words: The man synonymous with the dictionary, Noah Webster, was born in West Hartford and died in New Haven.

They write too: Many writers settle in Connecticut. OK, there are writers everywhere, but we claim a name synonymous with the craft. Mark Twain was living in Hartford when he wrote “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.”

Ground Zero for sports: Yes, we lack NBA, NHL, NFL and Major League Baseball teams, but ESPN’s studios, based in Bristol, broadcasts these sports and more to some 86 million American households.

Sports heroes: We don’t have a major professional sport; we have even better — the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team.

Where The Rivalry collides: It’s a lot tougher to be a New York Yankees fan or Boston Red Sox loyalist in Connecticut, because the enemy is always close.

Suck on this: George Smith put candy on a stick and popularized the “lolly pop” (which mutated to lollipop) in New Haven in 1931.

The classic burger: New Haven also claims the oldest burger joint in America, Louis’ Lunch, which claims bragging rights as the “birthplace of the hamburger sandwich.”

We argue over pizza: That’s because we have good pizza. So grab a few slices and debate Sally’s vs. Colony vs. Pepe’s vs Modern vs. ...

We (often) do the right thing: We have some of the toughest gun laws in the nation, were the third state to legalize gay marriage, are hiking the minimum wage considerably and don’t marginalize immigrants and refugees.

Local pride: Maybe it’s just because of the absence of a county government, but Connecticut residents are really quite involved in municipal affairs. That’s what happens when you have boards like the Greenwich Representative Town Meeting, which has 230 members.

This is what a state capitol should look like: If you’re going to build a state capitol, make it look like one. The gold leaf dome makes it clear this is where the money is handled.

And finally ...: If you’re driving through any of our neighboring states this holiday weekend, remember one thing they have that we don’t: tolls.